Field Day Activities

Field Day Games | Creative & Fun

Field Day is one of the most popular days of the school year. And why not? A whole day devoted to games… HEAVY on the fun, LIGHT on the ‘rithmetic, what could be better!?

When it comes to organizing your school’s field day, the goal is to keep it fun and eventful without exhausting everyone involved.

Games Sure to Make a Fantastic Field Day

Fresh New Games Bring Giggles!

Chicken Stix Relay: Grab a rubber chicken from a bucket using drum sticks and run it across the field and deposit it in a different bucket. Pass the stix to your team mate and they bring it back.

Pizza Box Race: Start with a stack of 10 empty pizza boxes for each team and teams of 10 kids. Two kids at a time run the pizza boxes to a finish line and stack them, first one box at a time, then two, then three then four. There must be 4 hands on the box(es) at all time (2 kids). When all 10 boxes make it to the finish line, the team elects two kids to bring the entire stack back – as fast as possible.

Plunger Challenge: Start with 4-8 plungers. Kids pass a ball back-and forth as many times as possible. Younger kids do this while standing in a circle, older kids while running toward a finish line. Kids compete for lowest score - one point is awarded each time the ball hits the ground.

Water Shoot Out Relay: Using a high-power water gun, kids try to knock a foam ball off a cone some distance away. For older kids, have teachers or a parent squirting a stream of water back at the kids – they’ll try to squirt the adults defensively and will have a harder time completing their task. Start with the filled water blaster some distance from the starting point in a hoop on the ground. Kids have to run to get their ‘weapon’ and then replace it in the same hoop – refilling before putting it back.

Soaking Wet Sweatpants Relay: Prepare two pairs of adult sweatpants and two buckets of water. Divide into two teams, first person up, dips the sweatpants into the bucket completely drenching them. Then puts them on and runs to a designated marker and back. Takes the pants off and hands them to the next kid who also dunks the pants and puts them on. And so on till the last kid on the team makes it back.

Original Favorites Never Grow Old

Parachute game: Popcorn: Toss multiple small rubber balls on the fabric while held taut, see how long your team can keep them popping!

Three-legged race: Divide into teams of 2, tie up with ribbon and race in groups of 3 around a barrel of water and back.

Egg and spoon race: 2 or even 3 teams, and use different types of objects to carry, try giant marshmallows, ping pong balls, potatoes. Or use chopsticks to carry items.

Sack race: Line up all the kids inside burlap sacks, or old pillowcases, hop to the finish line, first 3 win.

Obstacle course: Get creative with your obstacles. Find ladders, garbage cans even old lounge chairs, to crawl over, under, around and through.

Tug-o-war: Find a soft rope and tie several knots in each side. Divide into teams and place a large puddle of water in between the teams. First team to touch the water Loses.

And don't miss this FREE Field Day event cards download from Cap'n Pete's PE! Covering large group game ideas with step-by-step instructions, these free cards help field day volunteers, teachers, leaders and students easily understand the Field Day events. Download now

8 Tips to Make Your Field Day a Success!

1. Set a time limit for your field day – typically 60-90 minutes, with 10 minute rotations at each station.

2. Offer ‘Rest’ Water Stations where kids can get a drink and enjoy fun individual activities such as blowing bubbles, stacking cups, hula hooping, or chalk drawing

3. Make activities more complex by age. For example, passing a ball might be enough challenge for kinder kids, add passing while running for 3rd graders, and passing a ball while running through an obstacle course for 5th and 6th graders

4. Have megaphones, whistles, stop watches and clipboards handy for teachers and lead parent volunteers

5. Mix it up – some stations compete team vs team, and others, compete for best time.

VolunteerSpot is the perfect tool for bringing in more school parent volunteers. Set up free sign up sheets and make the ‘Volunteer Spot’ titles catchy. For example: Ringleader needed for the water balloon juggling toss contest, Inner Artist needed for the face painting table, Coach Butterfingers needed for the ping pong relay station… remind the parents they get to have fun too!

More Resources: We've got last-minute Field Day Ideas here - 5 essentials to a fun and memorable day.

What are your Field Day favorites? Please click 'comments' below and share.

Special thanks to Julia Webber for sharing field day fun ideas and photos! Julia is a mom of 3 in Austin, Texas.

Tags:
field day, field day activities, field day activities for elementary, field day event, field day game ideas, field day games, games for elementary school kids

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Field Day Activities

Field Day Games | Creative & Fun

Field Day is one of the most popular days of the school year. And why not? A whole day devoted to games… HEAVY on the fun, LIGHT on the ‘rithmetic, what could be better!?

When it comes to organizing your school’s field day, the goal is to keep it fun and eventful without exhausting everyone involved.

Games Sure to Make a Fantastic Field Day

Fresh New Games Bring Giggles!

Chicken Stix Relay: Grab a rubber chicken from a bucket using drum sticks and run it across the field and deposit it in a different bucket. Pass the stix to your team mate and they bring it back.

Pizza Box Race: Start with a stack of 10 empty pizza boxes for each team and teams of 10 kids. Two kids at a time run the pizza boxes to a finish line and stack them, first one box at a time, then two, then three then four. There must be 4 hands on the box(es) at all time (2 kids). When all 10 boxes make it to the finish line, the team elects two kids to bring the entire stack back – as fast as possible.

Plunger Challenge: Start with 4-8 plungers. Kids pass a ball back-and forth as many times as possible. Younger kids do this while standing in a circle, older kids while running toward a finish line. Kids compete for lowest score - one point is awarded each time the ball hits the ground.

Water Shoot Out Relay: Using a high-power water gun, kids try to knock a foam ball off a cone some distance away. For older kids, have teachers or a parent squirting a stream of water back at the kids – they’ll try to squirt the adults defensively and will have a harder time completing their task. Start with the filled water blaster some distance from the starting point in a hoop on the ground. Kids have to run to get their ‘weapon’ and then replace it in the same hoop – refilling before putting it back.

Soaking Wet Sweatpants Relay: Prepare two pairs of adult sweatpants and two buckets of water. Divide into two teams, first person up, dips the sweatpants into the bucket completely drenching them. Then puts them on and runs to a designated marker and back. Takes the pants off and hands them to the next kid who also dunks the pants and puts them on. And so on till the last kid on the team makes it back.

Original Favorites Never Grow Old

Parachute game: Popcorn: Toss multiple small rubber balls on the fabric while held taut, see how long your team can keep them popping!

Three-legged race: Divide into teams of 2, tie up with ribbon and race in groups of 3 around a barrel of water and back.

Egg and spoon race: 2 or even 3 teams, and use different types of objects to carry, try giant marshmallows, ping pong balls, potatoes. Or use chopsticks to carry items.

Sack race: Line up all the kids inside burlap sacks, or old pillowcases, hop to the finish line, first 3 win.

Obstacle course: Get creative with your obstacles. Find ladders, garbage cans even old lounge chairs, to crawl over, under, around and through.

Tug-o-war: Find a soft rope and tie several knots in each side. Divide into teams and place a large puddle of water in between the teams. First team to touch the water Loses.

And don't miss this FREE Field Day event cards download from Cap'n Pete's PE! Covering large group game ideas with step-by-step instructions, these free cards help field day volunteers, teachers, leaders and students easily understand the Field Day events. Download now

8 Tips to Make Your Field Day a Success!

1. Set a time limit for your field day – typically 60-90 minutes, with 10 minute rotations at each station.

2. Offer ‘Rest’ Water Stations where kids can get a drink and enjoy fun individual activities such as blowing bubbles, stacking cups, hula hooping, or chalk drawing

3. Make activities more complex by age. For example, passing a ball might be enough challenge for kinder kids, add passing while running for 3rd graders, and passing a ball while running through an obstacle course for 5th and 6th graders

4. Have megaphones, whistles, stop watches and clipboards handy for teachers and lead parent volunteers

5. Mix it up – some stations compete team vs team, and others, compete for best time.

VolunteerSpot is the perfect tool for bringing in more school parent volunteers. Set up free sign up sheets and make the ‘Volunteer Spot’ titles catchy. For example: Ringleader needed for the water balloon juggling toss contest, Inner Artist needed for the face painting table, Coach Butterfingers needed for the ping pong relay station… remind the parents they get to have fun too!

More Resources: We've got last-minute Field Day Ideas here - 5 essentials to a fun and memorable day.

What are your Field Day favorites? Please click 'comments' below and share.

Special thanks to Julia Webber for sharing field day fun ideas and photos! Julia is a mom of 3 in Austin, Texas.